Detroit Red Wings

Sheahan lost in red light district
March 17, 2017, 4:42 PM ET [16 Comments]
Bob Duff
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By now, you would have thought an open-net rebound would have fallen at his stick blade. Or the puck would have banked in off his skate or his leg.

Instead, nada.

With 13 games left to play, Detroit Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan continues to wear a goose egg in the goals column.

“It’s been tough,” Sheahan admitted. “Obviously, it hasn’t been going great.

“You’ve got to just forget about the past and keep going.”

Yet it’s the past that makes this present slump so mystifying. Last season, Sheahan scored a career-high 14 goals, one better than the 13 he netted in 2014-15.

It’s not like he hasn’t scored in the league.

“His game, given the playing situations he’s been in, he’s played good, for whatever reason it hasn’t resulted in a goal,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s unfortunate. He’s had opportunities, but he’s done lots of good stuff.

“He’s showing up on chances for, not to the weight of a year ago or two years ago, but part of that is he’s spent more time on the fourth line this year. That dictates how many chances you get. But his chances are still solid, he just hasn’t scored.”

If he continues to fail to light a red lamp, Sheahan will set a new franchise record for goalless games in a season by a forward. Both Aaron Downey (2007-08) and Stu Grimson (1995-96) went 56 games without scoring.

Since he’s missed two games, Sheahan can’t set an NHL record. Craig Adams of the 2009-10 Pittsburgh Penguins and Ken Baumgartner of the 1997-98 Boston Bruins played all 82 regular-season games without denting the twine.

Not that he’d want any part of that company.

“I feel like most games there’s a good scoring opportunity for me,” Sheahan said. “I’ve just got to keep going. We’re getting close to the end of the season, so hopefully I’ll get a bounce soon.

“It’s been frustrating but there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s in the past, so I’m just going to focus on the game at hand.”

There was interest in Sheahan at the NHL trade deadline but the Wings wanted a price equivalent with the 13-14 goal Sheahan, while other teams were seeking a bargain-basement deal for a guy who hasn't scored this season.

Blashill has advised Sheahan not to let the goalless drought impact the rest of his game but also knows that it must be gnawing away at him the longer it lingers.

“I think the biggest thing with Riley, him and I have talked lots about this, I don’t think Riley was ever going to be judged solely on points and goals,” Blashill said. “Obviously, we’d like him to have more than he has. He’s been a 13-, 14-goal scorer in this league. I think he’s got to be a real good two-way player and I think he’s still a real good two-way player.”

Blashill fully expects this season to be a blip on the radar and that Sheahan will rebound to normal form next season.

“I look at career averages and say that’s probably what they are up until now,” Blashill said. “Isn’t that the existentialist theory, you are what you do? There’s other guys on this team that we might have higher expectations than what their goal totals are at.

“Look at career statistics and that’s what they are today. That’s why I think that, because he’s done it in the past.”